TAXPAYERS’ CASH COUNCILS SPEND ON CELEBRITIES
THE shocking amount of cash celebrities are paid to appear at council events in Wales – using taxpayers’ money – has been revealed. Local authorities in South Wales alone have forked out more than £32,000 for appearances from TV presenters, chefs and comedians since 2014.
That included a £5,000 fee just for a dinner date with One Show presenter Gyles Brandreth. Former Great British Bake Off winner Francis Quinn was paid £2,000 to deliver cookery demonstrations at the Caerphilly Food Festival in May 2014.
The council also paid swimmer David Roberts £1,250 to give an “inspirational talk” at the One Beat voluntary sector awareness event in October of the same year.
The council has been asked comment.
Cardiff council, Wales’ largest local authority, held a series of author events at libraries in the capital, with many guests appearing for no fee.
However, they did pay £400 to children’s writer and illustrator Thomas Docherty and gave cartoonist and writer Neil Cameron £350 plus £57.60 to cover travel expenses.
A spokesperson for Cardiff council to said: “Cardiff Library Service very rarely pays for author or celebrity appearances.
“In fact, we are currently hosting a series of free monthly literary events called Open Space, featuring authors who appear for no fee.
“These spends relate to April 2014, when Central Library hosted events with children’s authors and illustrators to encourage young readers to visit our library and promote a lifelong love of reading and books.”
Bridgend Business Forum has also hired celebrities to appear at events, but the council said costs were covered by sponsorship and ticket sales.
Writer, broadcaster and former MP and government whip Gyles Brandreth was paid £5,000, along with £99 travel expenses, to appear at the 2014 Christmas lunch.
Welsh comedian Rod Woodward was also paid £3,000 to appear at the 2015 event.
Councils in the Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taf have also seen appearances from celebrities over the past few years, but both councils refused to say how much they paid people to appear.
In Merthyr Tydfil, Roy Noble was paid £1,500 to attend the EPIC awards, but costs were said to have been covered by ticket sales.
Figures such as Derek Brockway, Chris Coleman and Julien Macdonald have also been involved in functions organised by Merthyr council, but the celebrities declined to accept fees for their attendance.
In North Wales more than £16,000 was spent on celebrity appearances at council events.
Denbighshire council contributed to the £1,960 paid to children’s author Jeremy Strong for speaking to school pupils.
The council also paid Gareth Wyn Davies, who appears in BBC Wales’ The Hill Farm, to appear at A Taste for Local event.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “The council very rarely spends funds on using personalities and authors, and only does so when it needs to market and promote attractions or events that will benefit the health and well-being of residents or communities, or for educational reasons.
“When doing so, it is mindful that it is spending public money, therefore costs are kept down to an absolute minimum.”
Elsewhere Swansea council admitted paying fees for famous faces, while Powys council granted adventurer Torri James £1,000 plus £70 for mileage to host a professional development session for staff.
The Taxpayers Alliance Wales has blasted the fees as a “total disregard for taxpayers’ money”.
A spokesman said: “In times of greater cutbacks it appears that the public purse is still being ravaged by decisions taken by public sector officials, sanctioned by our elected representatives.
“This total disregard for taxpayers’ money by paying extortionate appearance fees demonstrates how out of touch taxpayer-funded bodies in Wales are with ordinary hardworking people.
“The exposure of reckless spending when so many households face yearon-year council tax increases has to be welcomed.
“Thankfully, with the local elections in May 2017, the electorate will have the opportunity to take the first step to right the wrongs and the many abuses of taxpayers’ money.”